http:// www.billybragg.co.uk

Billy Bragg is one of the UK's foremost singer songwriters. His music is a witty mix of folk pop and protest song. Popular as ever, Bragg has in recent years worked with REM, Wilco and Less Than Jake. His music has lost none of it's bite since the fall of Thatcher and he has been a strong critic of the Bush regime. His most commercial song 'Sexuality' charted at number 2 in the US Rock Charts but its 'New England' which remains the fans favourite. A long time advocate of English identity and reclaiming nationalism from the far right Braggs England, Half English explores the make-up of the British isles and celebrates our diversity as a nation. Here he speaks to us about Scottish nationalism, what he did in 2006 and the youth of today.

HOLV: You toured pretty extensively in 2006, what were the highlights for you?

BB: Playing the whole of my debut album Life's A Riot with Spy vs Spy in 15 minutes at the British music industry clambake at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Playing five nights at Brixton Academy opening for Hard-Fi. The first night of the Stop the BNP tour in Wolverhampton - West Ham had just got into the Cup Final - got so excited I played the whole first album as an encore! Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, playing in a glade in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Spanish Civil War memorial Trust gig in Manchester Public Library. Performing in Brixton Prison with Get Cape Wear Cape Fly. The publication of my first book, The Progressive Patriot.

HOLV: But not many young artists seem to write about political or social conditions. Do we just have things too good these days, or do people care less?

BB: I don't accept that young bands don't write political songs. Watching Hard-Fi at Brixton, their songs addressed issues such as the Iraq War and racism. Likewise Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly. When he came and did a gig in Bridgeport, where I live, he made an impassioned speech about his opposition to the BNP. What has changed is that the music media are not as radical as they were in the 80s. The NME took a very political stance during the Thatcher years and that encouraged bands to address the issues of the day.

HOLV: When studying Scottish History at University I had to read quite a bit on the Empire. Almost all the books on Scotland's involvement in the Empire are fairly celebratory in tone and highlight many of the 'good' things Britain achieved (defeating Napoleon, spread of education, infrastructure etc). Obviously the whole issue is open to debate, but south of the border you get the impression that anything regarding the subject is strictly taboo. Is this right?

BB: I wouldn't say its taboo, just contentious. People who speak highly of the British Empire sometimes give the impression that they harbour a certain nostalgia for those days 'when we were in charge of the brown people'. The Empire had positives as well as negatives. What I object to is people using it as justification for our superiority over everyone else.

HOLV: Recently I was invited along to an SNP conference. Apparently they only need about 40,000 votes to secure a majority in the Scottish Parliament. I have to say I went in with an open mind but left a little scared. How does the possibility of breaking a 300 year old bond make you feel? BB Because I had a British education, I know quite a few Scots and Welsh songs and stories and I cherish that part of my identity. However, I also know quite a few Irish songs and stories too so I guess that even if the Union is dissolved, our proximity, and the familiarity that flows from it, is something that cannot be undone.

HOLV: So what will 2007 have in store for you?

BB: I am about to go into the studio to record a new album for release in the autumn. I am also working on a campaign for a new Bill of Rights.

Interviewed By Hammond